100 Favorite Films of the Decade: 60-41

60. Star Trek (2009, directed by JJ Abrams)

Basically it turned Trek into a pulp space adventure novel, but I'm okay with that. I think Trek needed a shot like this, something different, but something that, for me, brought back the sense of fear and wonder and danger that used to be inherent in the ideas of space exploration. (And even if you don't like your Trek this way, Abrams and company went to all the trouble of enclosing it in an alternate universe for you.)

59. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005, directed by Judd Apatow)

This is another one of those movies that's more emotionally genuine to me than a lot of the comedies made this decade. I like the underpinnings of it, the way it satirizes the fixation that both society and pop culture have with sex. It's at heart a very sweet movie about a genuine human being.

58. Monsoon Wedding (2001, directed by Mira Nair)

A large, busy movie about a large, busy wedding preparation. That the film manages to keep all of its characters and storylines straight for the viewer is no mean feat; imagine some of America's trendier directors trying to do the same thing. Naseeruddin Shah sits at the center of this family epic as a man attempting to put on a very expensive wedding for his daughter's arranged marriage, but the film plays as much for pathos as it does for comedy, giving us examples of various intensities of love and family secrets.

57. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006, directed by Larry Charles)

Genius comedy; in playing the outsider, Sacha Baron Cohen manages to expose various levels of tolerance and selfishness across America, overtly pushing the boundaries of acceptable behavior for the sake of sometimes revelatory reactions. Bruno proved that this concept was really only going to work once for Cohen, but it certainly does work the first time.

56. King Kong (2005, directed by Peter Jackson)

This remake is sort of the writ large version of King Kong; maybe a little too large and too grand, but there's still something very pulpy and stylish about it that I love. A lot of it has to do with Kong himself; the combination of Andy Serkis' performance and the amazing animation of the CGI artists. He's a genuine emotional center, grounding what could have been an epic of silliness and self-importance.

55. Halloween (2007, directed by Rob Zombie)

Another movie I'm apparently supposed to hate. And while the original version is clearly superior, I was riveted by this version. The biggest complaint I heard was that it tried to explain the motivation of Michael Myers, but I never felt it did. The scenes of therapy are there to show that there is no explanation for it; that try as pop psychology might to explain something, it just can't. An intense and visceral thriller, one of the few modern horror movies that really works for me. Shame about the awful, awful sequel...

54. American Splendor (2003, directed by Shari Springer Bergman & Robert Pulcini)

This film makes a lot of wise decisions in giving us the story of Harvey Pekar. It jumps around, much like Pekar's American Splendor comic book, but it also--like the comic--focuses on small, observational moments that define a man who was ground down by life and accepted it, celebrating small triumphs rather than lamenting what never happened. Pekar was a very inspiring writer, and this movie celebrates it without being fatuous.

53. Somewhere (2010, directed by Sofia Coppola)

As I've said before, what I find most amazing about Sofia Coppola is that she refuses to draw any conclusions for you. Here, she simply observes the life of an actor and his sometimes distant relationship with his young daughter without offering an artificial point of view or any judgments. We see a man who is hungering for an emotional connection, but who doesn't know how to make one. Loneliness even when surrounded by people. It becomes quite palpable the longer the movie goes on, giving us a picture of a superficial life that isn't really being experienced. Also, I think Elle Fanning is a very special actress. I hope she doesn't start making teen comedies...

52. The Princess and the Frog (2009, directed by Ron Clements & John Musker)

It's an unfortunate commentary on this decade's animation that The Princess and the Frog seems so fresh just for having a plot and good characterization. It's old-fashioned and charming, with nice songs and beautiful character animation (especially on the slick Doctor Facilier), and tells a story without being glib or referencing pop culture. It's just a pleasant picture, the kind which seems to no longer be in fashion.

51. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008, directed by Kurt Kuenne)

If you're looking for a documentary that will emotionally destroy you, here you go... Kurt Kuenne here documents the life and murder of his best friend in the form of a letter to the man's infant son, and then the shape of the narrative changes tragically. It's a powerful film that punched me right in the heart.

50. Sita Sings the Blues (2008, directed by Nina Paley)

It's a real shame that rights issues have kept this from gaining a wider audience, because this flick is brilliant. Paley tells the story of her relationship, and intersperses it with a tale from the Ramayana, alongside Indian shadow puppets half-remembering the tale and interludes of 1920s jazz music. It almost sounds too clever, but it all works and it's all wonderful.

49. The Wrestler (2008, directed by Darren Aronofsky)

Just the simple story of an aging, ailing wrestler trying to connect with an estranged daughter, and trying to find a place where his life makes sense. What elevates this movie is Mickey Rourke's moving performance, and the way Aronofsky approaches this film completely without gimmickry or artifice. It's just a portrait of a man with nothing who wants more, but gets in his own way.

48. The Visitor (2008, directed by Thomas McCarthy)

I admire this film's quiet humanism. What could have been a sentimental exercise in liberal heroics and American imperialism is instead a film about people who are nearly powerless to a faceless, authoritative, almost capricious policy. Richard Jenkins is excellent as a man who finds connection in a place he never sought it, and Hiam Abass is wonderful as a woman trying to free her son from the jaws of bureaucracy. This film sneaks up on you; it doesn't charge up on the political spectrum, but is soulful and resists phony uplift.

47. The Simpsons Movie (2007, directed by David Silverman)

It's just a damn funny movie. Funnier than The Simpsons has been in the last decade. It took me back to that time when I loved The Simpsons not just because it was clever, but because the characters were believable and I cared about them.

46. Pineapple Express (2008, directed by David Gordon Green)

There's just something note-perfect about this flick. It's a stoner comedy, it's an action movie, it's a crime thriller with quirky characters... it works for me on every level and sort of defies description. And, of course, like a lot of these Apatow movies, it's a buddy comedy that's more honest about its emotions. I just love it. I get caught up in it every time I see it.

45. Howl's Moving Castle (2004, directed by Hayao Miyazaki)

It's amazing how well this film works when its focus is sort of all over the place. At heart, I think it's about Miyazaki's pacifism, but it's also a fascinating meditation on the nature of identity and how much it can be defined by the expectations or malice of others. It goes without saying that it's a beautifully animated film, right?

44. Love Actually (2003, directed by Richard Curtis)

A big, gooey movie about various aspects of love, perhaps over-packed but never unenjoyable. True, Richard Curtis drifts more towards the sentimental and less towards any kind of cynicism, but so what? Those aren't the stories he's interested in telling, and there are enough hard slaps of reality to go with the corn. Maybe it's not entirely sophisticated, but it's a charming, comforting film that satisfies me every time I see it.

43. Monsters, Inc. (2001, directed by Pete Docter)

Creative and energetic, genuinely heartfelt and incredibly funny. Though there are other Pixar films I like better (and which are higher up on this list), I don't think they've managed to surpass this flick just on the level of being incredibly, universally funny. And did you ever notice that Sully is basically a big Muppet? It's like a Muppet movie, right down to Frank Oz having a role.

42. How to Train Your Dragon (2010, directed by Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois)

An adorable film, the best animated picture DreamWorks has ever made. Rather than a pop-culture heavy star turn, it's a movie about friendship and understanding, a very funny movie where the humor comes out of the characters, and features one of the best animated creations of the decade: Toothless the Dragon, recognizably catlike and very appealing.

41. Welcome to the Rileys (2010, directed by Jake Scott)

A challenging gem about what is apparently a favorite theme of mine--the need to re-connect with the outside world after too long spent inside oneself. The relationships may be unconventional, but the unspoken needs of the lead characters are genuine. Kristen Stewart is capable of so much, and her performance here is astounding; more of these, less of Twilight, please.

100 Favorite Films of the Decade: 80-61

80. Speed Racer (2008, directed by the Wachowski Brothers)

Yes, it's a candy-colored cartoon with live actors. That doesn't sound like a strike against it to me. I love this movie because it so resolutely is what it is; it's drawn in broad strokes, given a convoluted plot with some pretty genuine character moments, and creates a self-contained world that's visually exciting and completely senseless. I love everything about, even the actors I don't normally like.

79. Frailty (2002, directed by Bill Paxton)

What Bill Paxton no longer has to offer the world as an actor (Big Love just killed him for me), he makes up for as a director. I hope he's got more films in him (his other film, The Greatest Game Ever Played, nearly also made this list). This is one of a small number of horror films I saw this decade that I thought were rather brilliant, showing us a father's religious fervor through the eyes of his terrified son.

78. About Schmidt (2002, directed by Alexander Payne)

For two hours, this film unfolds as though it were just a quirky comedy about a lonely, widowed retiree trying to make it to his daughter's wedding. It's the final minutes that really turn his journey into something of real importance, and give meaning to the whole picture. This film earned the tears it got from me.

77. The Lives of Others (2006, directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)

This film's strength is its subtlety. The details build and build as we watch a Stasi officer coldly monitor the cultural scene in East Germany. But as he begins to sympathize with the people he's surveilling, begins to identify them, and gradually connects with emotions and desires long put aside, an essential humanity begins to break from the shackles of bureaucracy. That makes The Lives of Others sound rather more heroic than it is, but small triumphs are also worth celebrating.

76. The Bourne Identity (2002, directed by Doug Liman)/The Bourne Supremacy (2004, directed by Paul Greengrass)

I guess these two movies are sort of like the action version of The Lives of Others. It's the story of another man who has had his humanity removed and been turned into an unfeeling instrument of the state, who suddenly reconnects with it. I guess this is a favorite theme of mine. The movies are also exciting as hell.

75. Gone Baby Gone (2007, directed by Ben Affleck)

Just a solid, character-driven crime thriller that took me by surprise. The performances in this movie are surprising (how nice to see Morgan Freeman play a complex character again instead of just being asked to repeat his role from The Shawshank Redemption), and the way it's constructed is just riveting.

74. My Life Without Me (2003, directed by Isabel Coixet)

An utterly heartwrenching film about a woman with two months to live who keeps it to herself. Rather than make the last two months of her life pure pain for everyone around her, she decides to just live it as best as she can and in the way she's always wanted. In choosing life over a preparation for death, she makes some touching discoveries about herself and ponders the hole she's going to leave in the lives of her loved ones, particularly her young daughters. Sarah Polley is incredible in this movie.

73. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, directed by John Cameron Mitchell)

As I said when I saw it, seeing this movie was like hearing Ziggy Stardust for the first time. This film transcended itself, turning a story about a transsexual singer into a contemplation of love, harmony, sexuality, gender, failure, success, and responsibility. And all set to such divine music. It's a glam search for wholeness, and it is just beautiful.

72. The Spirit (2008, directed by Frank Miller)

Boy, things got really contentious with this one. But what I saw was a funny, quirky, stupid movie that I enjoyed the hell out of. The cartooniness of it, the silliness, the intentionally hilarious performances, the fun ham of the whole endeavor... honestly, this is pretty much how I remember Will Eisner's comic (though the movie has a lot less racial caricaturing). I know it's not a "cool" movie, but it's one of my favorites.

71. Signs (2002, directed by M. Night Shyamalan)

The only one of Shyamalan's films I even remotely like. I don't know, this is another one that gets bashed, but I guess I don't see what everyone else does. I think this is the one that works, even down to the twist ending--primarily because the plot doesn't depend upon that twist for the story to function. It's about a man's search for faith and how he finds it, but it's also a thrilling, scary movie for a kid who grew up reading stories about "real" UFO encounters and scaring himself too badly to sleep.

70. The Notorious Bettie Page (2005, directed by Mary Harron)

I like how observant this film is, how it regards pornography as a sort of innocent outlet, and how joyful and carefree Gretchen Mol's performance is. It doesn't take a point of view that nudity or pornography is bad or wrong; it also doesn't defend it. Instead, it looks at the experiences of a woman who much later had the label of pioneer put on her by others. The conclusions drawn by the audience aren't manipulated by the movie; I still find that more mature than being taught a specific lesson.

69. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005, directed by Garth Jennings)

No, it's not exactly everything Douglas Adams wrote, but who cares? To me it preserved the flavor and the characters while giving it a story arc and being damn entertaining (and with excellent special effects). If anything, I think the earlier scenes in the movie are too slavishly devoted to Adams (always the same tedious set-up in every incarnation of this story), but once everyone's aboard the Heart of Gold the story really gets moving. It's more Galaxy Quest than, well, whatever fanboys wanted it to be, but I liked that movie, too. And I dug Sam Rockwell as Zaphod. I just did. Dude used to be funny.

68. Sin City (2005, directed by Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)

In what I'm probably going to be calling in the future the Last Good Robert Rodriguez Movie (he used to make an actual effort), he and a very talented cast capture the look, the feel, and the story of one of my favorite comic books. No more, no less.

67. Justice League: The New Frontier (2008, directed by Dave Bullock)

A fine example of what both DC Comics and the movies based on them can be, and yet neither has managed to achieve.

66. The Cove (2009, directed by Louis Psihoyos)

One of the most moving documentaries of recent years, and one of the hardest to watch. Never have I seen both man's barbarous savagery and man's resolute stupidity laid out more starkly. Not only to slaughter dolphins, but to willingly poison people--even children--in the name of profit is inexcusable and a good indicator of why I've stopped expecting humanity to survive.

65. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005, directed by George Clooney)

Another tale about man's incomprehensible stupidity, this time directed at the media. A fine dramatization of Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator McCarthy, it serves as both an example of how journalists should behave, and a reminder of just how much this country has lost since corporations took control of the media.

64. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004, directed by Adam McKay)

(Yes, Douglas, I can hear your eyes rolling from here.) This set the template for the new school of comedy. Well, maybe Old School did, but this perfected it. Looking back on the decade's comedies, this was pretty much the peak of how good and how funny these films could get. Unfortunately, what happened is that Will Ferrell just tried poorly to remake this flick a half-dozen times, and the filmmakers became reluctant to edit much out of what is now a plague of overlong comedies. But this one never fails to make me laugh; it's just the right amount of absurd.

63. Osama (2003, directed by Siddiq Barmak)

A bleak, hopeless film that paints a stark, uncompromising picture of man's inhumanity. The film follows a 12 year-old girl in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan who disguises herself as a boy in order to survive and help support her family. It's not for this film to try and paint a picture of hope where there is none; it is simply what was and, sadly, though the names of the regime change, what is. Again we see how young girls are the most vulnerable and the most maligned members of any society.

62. Up (2009, directed by Pete Docter)

I overlook the predictable flourishes of the adventure plot in favor of what always strikes me hardest in this film, which is its unforced poignancy. Not just in the character of Carl Fredricksen and his need to do right by his late wife, but in the character of Russell, a child of divorce who is sunny and gushing in his desire to be helpful to somebody. From the fantastic imagery of a house being floated away by balloons to the touching vocal performances, I love this movie.

61. Swimming Pool (2003, directed by Francois Ozon)

A sub-Hitchcockian thriller, I love how this movie puts reality and fantasy on the same plane and then leaves the ending ambiguous. How much is reality, how much isn't? Does it even matter? Not when the story and the performances as good as they are here, and the suspense is so compelling.

100 Favorite Films of the Decade: 100-81

100. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007, directed by Sidney Lumet)

I haven't always been the biggest fan of Sidney Lumet, but I was captivated by this movie. It's too rare these days to see a crime thriller that works, much less one that's so character-driven. By joining the crime to a family drama, it makes its characters both that much more sympathetic and that much more jaw-droppingly amoral. Maybe it's not a great film, but it's solidly constructed and rewarding.

99. Last Chance Harvey (2008, directed by Joel Hopkins)

This film seemed to get written off as soon as the trailers hit. I think that's a shame. Again, it's not an earth-shattering film, but it's a very nice one with fully-realized characters who have recognizable, believable emotions. Not only that, but it's concise; in a mere 92 minutes, it tells the story of two people who are lonely and who find something in each other to hold on to. I tend to prize movies about connections and understanding, and this one moved me with its honest simplicity.

98. Hairspray (2007, directed by Adam Shankman)

I haven't been digging the return of the musical, but this one was everything I actually want from a musical. It's fun, it's simple, it's pretty, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. And the songs are great. I don't have anything more complex to say than this movie's always a good time. Sometimes that's all it takes.

97. District 9 (2009, directed by Neill Blomkamp)

I know there are people who found this movie's Apartheid allegory thin and obvious but, honestly, I don't have faith in humanity that we would treat aliens any other way. A gripping, well-made thriller with points to make.

96. The Devil's Rejects (2005, directed by Rob Zombie)

Conversely, a well-made film with almost no point to make. It's more or less Rob Zombie's love letter or homage or whatever to road movies and crime thrillers from the 1970s. His influences are pretty obvious, but the movie's very well-acted and even well-written; it wants to entertain as well as shock, and if you can look past the sickening violence, Zombie has an excellent grasp of who his characters are. Fantastic soundtrack, too. I'll take this over a Saw movie any day of my life.

95. Superbad (2007, Greg Mottola)

There was a brief time that seems to be effectively over now when the comedies of this past decade really managed to hit on a personal level. There was more emotional resonance inside the absurdity and dick jokes. This was just one of my favorites. It's hilarious.

94. Lars and the Real Girl (2007, directed by Craig Gillespie)

I dismissed this one as it came out, but sitting and watching the movie was quite an experience. Another film about the inability to make a connection with the world, and another which shows that, however unconventionally, people will find a way to connect when it's time. Here, Lars does it through a sex doll. And the triumph of the film is in the way his community supports him through the experience, allowing him to grow and open up instead of retreating further into himself. It's a special movie.

93. The Last King of Scotland (2006, directed by Kevin Macdonald)

The real brilliance of this movie is not just in Forest Whitaker's performance as Idi Amin, but in the uneasy tone. It's unrelenting. Even when Amin is in a good mood, there's always the fear that someone is going to get killed. It's one of the more alive political biopics as a result, because we're not sympathizing with Amin or getting to know him, but--through James McAvoy's Nicholas Garrigan--we're experiencing the man. And what we really experience is the false domestication of a wild animal it turns out to be very foolish to drop your guard around.

92. Taken (2008, directed by Pierre Morel)

I'm sure this seems like a frivolous choice. And let's face it, it's not a serious movie. It plays on America's xenophobia and exploits parental fears. But it's also an incredibly satisfying action flick, and it makes no apologies for being what it is. And it's not incredibly stupid, which is nice.

91. Spartan (2004, directed by David Mamet)

Taken, but serious. Just a great, intelligent thriller with a smart central character on a mission. Like a great, economically-written military novel. Not much more to it than that, really, but it's an engrossing movie.

90. Sherrybaby (2006, directed by Laurie Collyer)

An emotionally arresting story about a woman fighting for a second chance with society, with her family, and with a daughter who barely remembers her. Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance is authentically human; Sherry is a woman who is a victim, who makes selfish mistakes in an almost innocent fashion, but who fights to change her habits and her circumstances.

89. The New World (2005, directed by Terrence Malick)

This film exists in at least three different versions; the one I saw was the theatrical version released on DVD. I haven't experienced the differences myself, but I thought the movie was beautiful. I don't always like Terrence Malick's films--I think he tends to ruin them with the voiceovers--but I think it worked here, because the narration and the editing of the film are both so impressionistic. This isn't a lead-you-by-the-hand, tell-you-how-to-feel historical epic. Instead, it's an observation on what happens when cultures meet, a first contact story that changes everyone involved. It's also exquisitely beautiful to look at.

88. Thirteen (2003, directed by Catherine Hardwicke)

What's especially amazing about this film is all the ways it could have gone wrong. It could've been played as a comedy (which it was almost written as), it could've been played as overdramatic, it even could've been a Lifetime-style scare flick. Instead, it's an emotionally genuine movie about the disconnect of that time between childhood and young adulthood, when kids aren't sure what being a teenager means and where the boundaries are. This film pushes the boundaries in ways that are shocking but never exploitative or unbelievable. These are girls I grew up with, girls I've taught, girls I'm related to. It's the tragedy of growing up in modern America in a cohort--teenage girls--that is typically undervalued and talked down to.

87. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004, directed by Kerry Conran)

I have no problem with artifice in film. In fact, I support it. Why shouldn't some movies, if the storytelling warrants, be filled with animation to make something otherwise unachievable? This is one of the modern arguments about film that I honestly don't understand, especially since it's applied so randomly. Bad in some, great in Lord of the Rings... maybe it doesn't always work, but shouldn't we be judging these things based on their story instead of the media used to execute that story? If you don't like a movie because of it's story, that's one thing; to even not like these special effects, I understand; but to argue that this kind of special effects environment is somehow wrong is ridiculous to me. As for this flick, it's the kind of old-fashioned pulp adventure tale that I love no matter what the VFX in question. It's like a moving Airboy comic.

86. Ghost World (2001, directed by Terry Zwigoff)

A lot of the coming of age movies about finding maturity don't often resonate with me as much as this one does. This is about a girl who had found herself isolated, and made a comfort out of it. She feels trapped by life, but enjoys it, anyway, or tries to. It's nice to see a movie that realizes that the comfort of isolation isn't always enough; this is a great movie about overcoming social awkwardness and finding a way to connect, even if you sometimes have to leave everything behind to do it. Growth is refreshing.

85. Grizzly Man (2005, directed by Werner Herzog)

As I make this list, it seems more obvious to me that one of the great subjects for films to explore now is disconnect. In this documentary we have the story of a man who was so disconnected from his own civilization that he found solace in the uneasy balance between humanity and nature. His desire to connect with the natural world was so great that he forgot or chose to ignore where the boundaries are and paid for it, sadly, with his life. It's a compelling story that touches something deep inside a lot of us, I think: the desire to be closer to nature, and the fear of it.

84. Match Point (2005, directed by Woody Allen)

I think Woody Allen is at his most vibrant when he's exploring the ramifications of an unordered universe. If there is no God, can there be consequences, crises of conscience, even guilt? For some people, the answer is no. And a surprisingly easy no, at that. This is the strongest film he's made in the past 10 years, maybe longer, and an exceedingly well-acted one. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, motivated solely by selfishness, makes the leap from simple greed to real sociopathy seem organic, compelling, and scary as hell.

83. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, directed by Tommy Lee Jones)

This one took me by surprise when I first saw it. A deliberately-paced meditation on border relations between America and Mexico, but also a sensitive, quiet story about the meaning of loyalty and how far it's right to go in the name of friendship and keeping a promise. Pastoral and brilliant.

82. Hero (2002, directed by Zhang Yimou)

Visually magnificent; an epic of splendor and style. I was not one of the people who thought the film was advocating authoritarianism over individuality, but I do see how the film is a tragic exploration of how individuality suffers when war becomes necessary in order for peace to reign. I see it more in fantasy terminology, I suppose, but the beauty of warriors finding their destinies in love was very moving.

81. Open Range (2003, directed by Kevin Costner)

A tough, very satisfying movie. It makes a point about the realities of the West--as well as morality in men--and frames the range wars as what it mostly was: a move by greedy cattle barons to drive smaller outfits out of business and become monopolies. What I love especially about this movie is that this simply unfolds, rather than hammering points home. It begins as an assault and leads to a small war, from little to big, in a very believable way. This movie also has my favorite Robert Duvall performance of the last 15 years.